People
Bernard Banks |
Senior Advisory Partner |
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General Bernard "Bernie" Banks joined Sentinel in September 2022 as Senior Advisory Partner, Leadership and Inclusion. General Banks is considered a leading authority on leadership development and organization change across all sectors. He is currently the Director of Rice University's Doerr Institute for New Leaders and a Clinical Professor of Management in Rice's Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business. From 2016 to 2024, he served on the faculty and senior leadership team at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, including as its Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer.
General Banks graduated from West Point with a B.S. degree and served with distinction in the U.S. Army for 30 years. A trained combat helicopter pilot, he led multiple U.S. Army Apache helicopter organizations in the U.S. and abroad. His final operational position involved leading an Apache helicopter squadron in South Korea that was designated as the top unit of its type globally in the U.S. Army during his tenure at the organization's helm. Later, General Banks was competitively selected to serve as the Department Head (Dean) for Behavioral Sciences & Leadership at The U.S. Military Academy-West Point. As a young professional, General Banks was selected from more than 40,000 officers to receive the General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award in 1994 (the Army's top award for early-career officers). As a cadet, General Banks also distinguished himself as an elite athlete and was a running back for West Point's Varsity Sprint football team for all four of his undergraduate years.
In addition to his military accomplishments, General Banks has extraordinarily distinguished academic credentials. He holds a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University, an MA in philosophy from Columbia University, an MBA from Northwestern University, a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, and a PhD in social-organizational psychology from Columbia University.
Sidney J. Feltenstein |
Senior Advisory Partner; Operating Partner Emeritus |
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Sid Feltenstein is a Senior Advisory Partner and Operating Partner Emeritus of Sentinel Capital Partners. He has worked closely with Sentinel since 2001, primarily with Sentinel's restaurant and franchising companies. Mr. Feltenstein has had a successful career as a corporate executive and entrepreneur. In 1995, he led a private equity investment group that acquired A&W Restaurants. Under his leadership, the chain grew from 450 to almost 1,000 units in just five years. In 1999, Mr. FeItenstein led A&W's purchase of Long John Silver's. Under his leadership, A&W/Long John Silver's sales grew fivefold and its operating profits grew by 40 times. The company was sold to YUM! Brands in 2002 in a highly successful transaction.
Previously, Mr. Feltenstein was EVP of Worldwide Marketing for Burger King and is credited for reversing an eight-year decline in customer traffic. Before that, he spent 19 years at Dunkin' Donuts in both operations and marketing positions. Most recently, he served as its Chief Marketing Officer.
Mr. Feltenstein is a past chairman of the International Franchise Association (IFA) and a former chairman of the IFA Educational Foundation. He is also a member of the IFA Hall of Fame and a past recipient of the IFA's Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Mr. Feltenstein is a Trustee of Boston University from which he received a BA degree.
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Captain D's |
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Thomas P. Fitzpatrick |
Senior Advisor; Operating Partner Emeritus |
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Thomas Fitzpatrick is a Senior Advisory and Operating Partner Emeritus of Sentinel Capital Partners, which he joined in 2001. Previously, Mr. Fitzpatrick spent the majority of his career at Coopers & Lybrand, where most recently he led the team that supported acquisition due diligence reviews required by private equity firms and strategic buyers to support their investment operations. Sentinel was one of his clients.
During his 34 years with Coopers & Lybrand, Mr. Fitzpatrick was a member of its Executive Committee, National Director of Mergers and Acquisitions, and Partner-in-Charge of the New York office's Financial Advisory Practice. Over the course of his career, he has worked with dozens of private equity firms conducting due diligence and acquisition reviews on hundreds of investment opportunities. In addition, Mr. Fitzpatrick was the Partner in Charge of Coopers & Lybrand's Investment Committee, which was responsible for investing the partners' personal capital in private equity.
From 1997 to 2000, Mr. Fitzpatrick was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Englehard Corporation. He received a BBA from St. John's University.
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Alemite |
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Edward L. Kuntz |
Senior Advisory Partner; Operating Partner Emeritus |
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Edward Kuntz is a Senior Advisory Partner and Operating Partner Emeritus of Sentinel Capital Partners. He has worked closely with Sentinel since 2003, primarily with Sentinel's healthcare companies. Mr. Kuntz currently serves as chairman of Kindred Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE), one of the largest providers of long-term health care services in the United States. He joined Kindred in 1998 and served as CEO from 1999 to 2003. In 2004, he retired as CEO and became Executive Chairman. Mr. Kuntz also serves as a director of Rotech Healthcare, a publicly held provider of oxygen and related healthcare products. Previously, he was Chairman and CEO of Living Centers of America (NYSE), a long-term health care company operating more than 250 nursing centers and a pharmaceutical distribution and contract rehabilitation therapy business.
Mr. Kuntz is a director of the Alliance for Quality Healthcare, a multi-facility long-term care organization, and a past member of the Board of Governors of the American Health Care Association.
Mr. Kuntz, who began his career as an attorney, served as Associate General Counsel of ARA Services (now Aramark) from 1978-1985 when he became Executive Vice President of ARA Living Centers. He held that position from 1985 to 1992. Mr. Kuntz received a BA degree, magna cum laude, and JD and Master of Law degrees from Temple University, where he was an editor of the law review and a Barenkopf Scholar.
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Castle Dental Centers |
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Michael J. Myers* |
Senior Advisory Partner |
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Our friend and colleague, Michael J. Myers, passed away on July 1, 2009 at the age of 69.
An executive with a long and distinguished career in private equity, Michael Myers had been a Senior Advisory Partner to Sentinel Capital Partners since its inception in 1995. He made a profound impact on Sentinel's founders during an association that spanned almost three decades.
Mr. Myers previously served as a Director of Sentinel portfolio companies Growing Family, Floral Plant Growers, and Tony Roma's prior to the sale of these businesses.
In 1972, Mr. Myers co-founded First Century Partners, the venture capital affiliate of Smith Barney, and had overall responsibility for First Century's investment operations for 23 years. During this period, First Century invested in more than 60 venture-stage and middle market companies, primarily in the consumer, healthcare, and technology industries. In addition to serving as a Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Smith Barney, Mr. Myers was associated as an investor or director of several highly successful companies including American Health Corp., Apple Computer, Applicon, Entre Computer Centers, Colorcon, Floating Point Systems, FoxMeyer, HealthSouth, Iomega Corporation, Mobex Corporation, Office Depot, Perrigo Corporation, PhyCor, Prime Computer, Storage Technology, Summit Design, and ValleyLab.
From 1968 to 1972, Mr. Myers was associated with J.H. Whitney, a leading venture capital firm. He held an MBA from Harvard University, a JD with honors from George Washington University, and a BS from the University of Illinois.
Our loss is softened by knowing what a privilege it was to know Mike and to work with him. We miss him greatly.
Frank E. Richardson |
Senior Advisory Partner |
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Frank Richardson, an executive with a long and distinguished career in private equity, is a co-founder of Sentinel Capital Partners and has been a Senior Advisory Partner to the firm since its inception. Most recently, he was chairman and majority shareholder of Enterprise NewsMedia, a publisher of newspapers in New England. He has been an investor and director of several high-profile companies, including Wilson Sporting Goods, Avis, Outlet Communications, Six Flags Amusement Parks, Sonic Industries, TLC Beatrice, and Western Auto. He was also lead outside director of Alex. Brown & Sons until its merger with Bankers Trust.
From 1986 to 1995, Mr. Richardson was President of Wesray Capital Corporation, a private investment firm founded by William E. Simon, former Secretary of the Treasury. During his association with Wesray, Mr. Richardson was directly involved in the acquisitions of more than 35 businesses in a variety of industries. He holds a BA, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Princeton University, an MA with Honors from Oxford University, and a JD from Harvard University.
At a Glance
- Willing and able to help and advise
- Responsible stewards of businesses
- Broad and deep middle market experience
- Friendly and supportive partners
